Carpenter Street Community Vegetable Garden
We will transform a blighted lot by engaging the neighborhood, cut monetary costs and increase access to fresh produce for neighbors, and teach social responsibility to students through sustainability!
Leader
Megan Banaszek
Location
247 Carpenter Street Memphis, TN 38112
About the project
Our proposed project is to designed to transform a blighted lot, increase access to fresh produce, and teach social responsibility through sustainability. This space is currently a blighted lot, attracting trash and crime. A community vegetable garden will address both property redevelopment and empowering residents. The proposed garden will encourage healthier choices, and allows community members to work towards something that benefits their own families. The greatest need for this vegetable garden is the lack of fresh produce available to this community. This Binghampton neighborhood is a food insecure area, specifically when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. Due to a lack of transportation, many members have limited access to groceries in general, often depending on near by convenience stores for meals. Fruits and vegetables are limited, and organic is simply not available. With the proposed community vegetable garden, Binghampton students will take ownership of vegetable boxes and have unlimited access to the fruits and vegetables in their box. This will cut monetary costs, as community vegetable garden participants will invest time and energy in exchange for healthier choices. The proposed garden will provide a traveling produce cart for neighbors. The traveling produce cart will cut costs and increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Steps
February 2015- Begin gathering supplies. The vegetable garden is provided to families and students at no cost!
March 2015- prepare the lot, evening the land, installing water source, begin building vegetable boxes, compost bin and fence around property. Hold meeting March 21st assigning boxes to neighbors, and designating some boxes to students for gardening club.
April 2015- begin planting and gardening club curriculum. Gardening club will be held officially once a week, with times to tend the garden boxes during the week.
May 2015- begin traveling vegetable stand. The traveling vegetable stand will run throughout the summer months.
Why we‘re doing it
This is not only an opportunity for Binghampton residents, adults and children, to learn a new skill, but the chance to experience new fruits and vegetables that had never previously been available. The greatest need for this vegetable garden is the lack of fresh produce available to this community. This Binghampton neighborhood is a food insecure area, specifically when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. Due to a lack of transportation, many members have limited access to groceries in general, often depending on near by convenience stores for meals. Fruits and vegetables are limited, and organic is simply not available.